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The Spiritual Roots of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani
Any tariqa has a silsila or spiritual chain linking the teachings of the Shaykh to the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam. The spiritual roots of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani Rady Allahu ‘Anhu are traced back to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as follows:
Imam u’l
Anbiya, Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhammad ibn ‘Abdillah, Nurin
min Nurillah,
(53 B.H-11 A.H;
571-632 C.E), the master of
Sayyiduna’l Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (23 B.H-40 A.H; 600-661 C.E), the father of
Sayyid-ush-shuhadaa Imam Husayn ibn ‘Ali (4-61 A.H), the father of
Sayyidina Imam Zayn u’l ‘Abidin ‘Ali ibn Husayn (38-94 A.H), the father of
Sayyidina Imam Muhammad al-Baqir ibn ‘Ali (59-114 A.H), the father of
Sayyidina Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (83-148 A.H), the father of
Sayyidina Imam Musa al-Kazim (passed away 182 A.H), the father of
Sayyidina Imam ‘Ali ar-Rida (passed away 203 A.H), the master of
Sayyidina Shaykh Ma’ruf al-Karkhi (passed away 201 A.H/817 C.E), the master of
Sayyidina Shaykh as-Sari as-Saqati (passed away 251 A.H/866 C.E), the master of
Sayyidina Shaykh
Abu’l Qasim, Junayd al-Baghdadi (passed away 298 A.H/910 C.E),
the master of
Sayyidina Shaykh
Abu Bakr ibn Jahdar ash-Shibli (passed away 334 A.H/945 C.E),
the master of
Sayyidina Shaykh ‘Abdul Wahid at-Tamimi, the master of
Sayyidina Shaykh Abu’l Faraj at-Tarsusi
(Abu’l Farah according to some narrations, instead of Abu’l Faraj), the master of
Sayyidina Shaykh Abu’l Hasan, al-Qurashi al-Hakaari, the master of
Sayyidina Shaykh
Qadi Abu Sa’id al-Mubarak al-Makhzumi (passed away 513 A.H),
the master of
Sayyidina Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani (470-561 A.H; 1077-1166 C.E).
(Cited in al-Jawhar u’n Nafis, The Most Precious Pearls p. 34).
Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Rahmatullahi ‘alayh, (1272-1340 A.H, 1856-1921 C.E) has versified on these spiritual roots in “Shajara Qadiriyya” (“The Spiritual Tree of the Qadiriyya Spiritual Masters”), in Hadaaiqi Bakhshish (The Gardens of Gifts, p. 65-66).
It has been narrated in Qalaid al-Jawahir (Necklaces of Gems) by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Yahya at-Tadifi, Rahmatullahi ‘alayh that Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani did not start preaching in Baghdad until he reached the age of 50. Before that, for many years, he was a wandering darwish in the wilderness of Iraq practicing zuhd (abstinence), totally immersed in the worship of Allah. Then the Holy Prophet Sayyidina Muhammad, peace be upon him, and Amir u’l Mu’minin Sayyidina ‘Ali, may Allah ennoble his face, came to him in a dream to bless him and to encourage him to start preaching in Baghdad. This then was the direct ijaza (permission) to him to preach from the Beloved Prophet himself who is the Madinat u’l ‘ilm (the City of Knowledge) as well as from Sayyidina ‘Ali who is Bab u’l ‘ilm (the Gate of Knowledge). With such an ijaza, was there anything that the beloved Piran-e-Pir (Shaykh of Shaykhs), Dastagir (the helping hand) could not accomplish?
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